“You see things; and say ‘why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘why not?’” – George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

How to get started

Getting started is really very simple. The first step is to contact Donna, our Family Support Co-ordinator (FSC) with any concerns that you may have about your child and any questions in relation to our programmes and services.

If you are interested in proceeding with an assessment, an appointment will be organised with Laura. Detailed listening and sensory questionnaires can then be downloaded from our website and returned to us prior to your assessment date.

The assessment can either take place in person if you are living in Ireland or by International Skype Consultation if you are living outside of Ireland.

The in-clinic assessment takes place over two hours with one of our senior speech and language therapists. This assessment will look at your child holistically, considering all the pieces of your child’s developmental jigsaw. Treatment recommendations will be made towards the end of the assessment process including advice on suitable specialist programmes and any referrals to other team members will be discussed.

You will leave the assessment with a clear understanding of what is happening for your child and how to move forward with their tailor-made treatment programme.

Assessment

We look at your child as an individual with their own unique hopes, dreams and aspirations.

Therefore our assessment procedure is also unique: in addition to all the areas that other conventional speech and language therapists look at we also assess your child’s neurological development, their sensory processing abilities and their motor, social and emotional development.

We are interested in the whole picture of your child: their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.

We believe that comprehensive assessment leads to highly effective multidisciplinary treatment to help your child achieve their potential.

We provide a two-hour assessment that looks primarily at your child’s speech, language and communication skills, sensory processing abilities, listening, attention and concentration skills. In addition we look at your child’s motor, social and academic abilities. We look at where your child is currently functioning but we can also see clearly what they could achieve with the correct interventions.

We identify all of the pieces of the jigsaw that are impacting on your child’s development and as a result we make recommendations for referral to other clinicians within the centre where a child may require input from occupational therapy, psychology, general practitioner, nutritionist or a medical homeopath.

All of the services that your child requires are available under one roof at The Child Development Centre.

Each assessment involves detailed discussions with parents who we consider to be the real experts when it comes to their child.

We are not interested in ticking boxes, listing symptoms or applying labels but we are interested in your child, their skills and abilities and in identifying the cause of their current challenges so that we can create the most effective treatment programme.

Our experience has shown that comprehensive assessment is the key to unlocking each child’s potential.

Our assessment process is quite different from others as we provide a treatment programme at the end of the initial assessment to enable families to get started immediately. Many families have been on waiting lists with public services for months and possibly years and we believe that treatment needs to start straight away.

Your child’s ability to process sensory information within the brain at the brainstem level lays the neurological foundation for the development of higher cognitive functions such as fine and gross motor skills, speech and language skills, social skills and ultimately learning ability.

By assessing children in this way we are able to identify the critical areas that are causing difficulty.

Please take a look at our listening checklist and sensory checklist to see whether your child may have a listening or a sensory processing challenge that is causing or contributing to their speech, language or other challenges.

Body Sense

Listening Checklist

Listening skills are not something that we can see, they are difficult to assess. This checklist offers a catalogue of skills and behaviors that will enable you to assess your child’s listening skills.

Receptive Listening

This is listening which is directed outward. It keeps us attuned to the world around us, to what’s going on at home, at work or in the classroom.

short attention span

easily distracted from a task

misinterpretation of questions

confusion of similar sounding words

frequent need for repetition

inability to follow a series of instructions

Expressive Listening

This is listening that is directed within. We use it to control our voice when we speak and sing and our eyes when we read or write.

flat and monotonous voice

hesitant speech

weak vocabulary

poor sentence structure

overuse of stereotyped expressions

inability to sing in tune

confusion or reversal of letters

difficulty with reading

poor spelling

poor motor Skills

The ear is not just for listening

The ear also controls balance, co-ordination and body image, and needs close attention.

poor posture

fidgety behavior

clumsy, uncoordinated movement

poor sense of rhythm

messy handwriting

hard time with organization, structure

confusion of left and right

mixed dominance

poor sport skills

Protection Issues

Listening is also the ability to leave out, or protect ourselves from “noise”, the information we don’t need. Difficulty at that level is often related to behavioral and social adjustment issues.

oversensitivity to sound

low tolerance or frustration

poor self-confidence

poor self-image

difficulty making friends

tendency to withdraw, avoid others

irritability

immaturity

negative attitude toward school/work

The Level of Energy

The sensory system, and the ear in particular, are most instrumental in providing and regulating the energy we need to lead harmonious and fulfilling lives.

difficulty getting up

tiredness at the end of the day

habit of procrastinating

hyperactivity

tendency toward depression

feeling overburdened with everyday tasks

low motivation, lack of drive

Developmental History

This knowledge sheds light on the possible causes of a listening problem.